While the exact cause of the crash is unknown, the leaves that can be seen strewn over the track indicate that conditions were a little less than optimal.

When it's pointing in the right direction, the Ring Taxi gives paying enthusiasts rides, with a professional driver behind the wheel.

After being temporarily replaced with an M3, the M5 Ring Taxi returned last year on the redesigned F10 chassis.

Legendary Nürburgring ace Sabine Schmitz used to be this car's cabbie, but instructors from the BMW Driving Experience now handle driving duties.

The Ring Taxi has the same 4.4-liter TwinPower V-8 as the regular M5, good for 560 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque. Taxis are equipped with the M-DCT dual-clutch transmission, and get a few special tweaks for 'Ring duty.

This isn't the first time a Ring Taxi has crashed.

In 2011, a BMW M3 Ring Taxi was taken out in an eight-car pileup. It started when one driver entered a construction zone too fast; he braked aggressively, slid, and started a chain reaction.